Rio Ferdinand insists Tottenham's Gareth Bale is not at the same level as Ronaldo and Messi

Rio Ferdinand has dismissed claims Tottenham winger Gareth Bale is in the class of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Bale has been sensational for Spurs in recent weeks, leading many pundits to liken the 23-year-old to the top two players in world football.

Ferdinand, however, believes recent praise of the Welshman is over the top and insists Bale must keep producing the goods for another couple of years before he can be regarded as equal to Barcelona star Messi and Real Madrid's Ronaldo.

The Manchester United defender wrote on Twitter: “People mentioning Bale in the same breath as Cristiano + Messi really don’t know football!

"Bale has been 1 of best 2 in PL this year but he is not on CR7 + Messi’s level yet . . . he carries on doing what he is doing for 2/3yrs then there can be a debate.

“Bale showed me a clean pair of heels once this year so I’m in good position to judge! CR7 + Messi have been on another planet for 4-5yrs.”